


Homestretch

by spyder_m



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/M, Post-Volume 2 (RWBY), Pre-Volume 3 (RWBY), WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 16:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7394065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyder_m/pseuds/spyder_m
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaune had a tendency to embellish things when writing letters home to his family. When his mother asked if he had a girlfriend, he found himself describing a girl that seemed remarkably similar to Pyrrha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homestretch

_Dear Jaune,_  


_How are you, honey? I hope this letter reaches you soon. It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since you left for Beacon. We've missed you very much. Your father and sisters all say hello! It certainly hasn't been the same at home without you here._

_How are you fitting in at school? Are you enjoying your classes? I hope you're doing your best to make lots of new friends._

_I've heard that your end of semester break is coming up soon and was wondering if you might like to make the trip home. We'd all love to see you. Of course, if you want to spend time becoming better acquainted with the school and your new friends, we'll understand too. It's entirely up to you. Take some time to think about it and let me know._

_And don't forget, if you ever decide that Beacon isn't for you and you to come home, your father and I won't be disappointed. There's no shame in trying at something and failing, it happens to the best of us at one stage or another. At least you weren't afraid to pursue something that means a lot to you. You should be proud of yourself for having made it this far. I know your father and I both are._

_We love you, Jaune. I hope that we'll get see you again soon._

_Love,_

_Your mother._

Jaune's lips twisted into a soft smile as he set the letter his mother had sent down on his bedside table. He stretched his arms out over his head, resting languidly back against the headboard of his bed. A contented sigh exhaled from his lips at the pop that worked its way through his shoulder blade.

He was alone in the JNPR dorm room, enjoying some peace and quiet; a rare break from their rather fast-paced lives. Between classes, combat training, and the occasional mission, any moment he could to take relax was welcomed. Nora had excitedly dragged Ren out to explore the Vytal Festival fairgrounds in their early stages. They were being set up in time for the coming semester's combat tournament. Pyrrha was still out on the rooftop, finishing up her training. She would often practice alone after they had finished sparring together. He was always impressed by her discipline and drive.

Classes were starting to wind down now, as they were reaching the end of their second semester. As his mother had mentioned, students would soon be allowed time off to travel to their home villages and spend with their families, if they wished. If not, they were welcome to stay at the Academy until the new term began. Jaune was excited at the prospect of returning home to see his family once again. They'd been apart for almost a year, and it was hard to believe how drastically his life had changed in that time alone. He couldn't wait to tell them about all the adventures he had had since then.

Though she loved all of her children equally, Jaune's mother had always had something of a soft spot for him. She was especially protective and nurturing, perhaps because he was her only son, the heir to the Arc family name, and she understood the pressures that would come with that in his later life.

His parents had always encouraged him to try his best in anything that he applied himself to growing up. Whether it was learning to dance, music lessons, even his schooling. They had always told him to give his all. Though, that support had always been padded with the reassurance that it didn't matter if he failed and that winning wasn't everything.

When he was younger, Jaune didn't really think too much of this. He assumed it was a life lesson they felt was valuable and made a point of reinforcing. As time passed and he learnt more of his family's great history, he wondered if perhaps it had been something they'd said to reassure him when he failed. In case he felt inadequate compared to all the great achievements of those that had come before him.

The phrase, however, remained a mantra that continued well into his teenage years, despite Jaune's insistence that the point was more than apparent to him. Perhaps it was something born from a darker, more cynical part of him, but he couldn't but feel as though his parents doubted him and that their reassurance was something made in anticipation of his inevitable failure. After all; if his mother's letter was any indication; they still seemed to think that his decision to go to Beacon was just some passing impulse, something that he would eventually realise was a mistake.

Jaune knew well that his parents loved him, and wanted him to be happy. Yet it was crushing to think that they didn't believe he could succeed. At least not on his own merit. It was an integral part of why he'd come to Beacon in the first place. He'd risked getting into a lot of trouble by using forged transcripts, he'd braved the very likely possibility of getting grievously injured, or even killed, due to his lack of training. Those were the lengths that he'd been willing to go to just to prove himself.

Sitting up in his bed, Jaune's toes kicked the sheets tangled at his feet as he reached for one of his class notebooks and a pen. Propping the book up against his knee, Jaune rested the pen between his fingertips, thinking about what he should write. He wanted to show his parents, his whole family, that his coming Beacon hadn't been a mistake. He wanted to be able to live up to the legacy attached to his family's name.

Though, that was easier said than done. Whatever he wrote was going to have be carefully filtered, if he truly wanted to get that impression across.

Sure, he was no longer at risk of failing any of classes, thanks to his teammates. He really didn't know where he would be without Pyrrha's nightly training sessions, Ren lending him his notes from class, and Nora's, well… motivation. Having said that, his grades still weren't exactly anything worth writing home about, and while his combat skills had improved noticeably, his performance was still below the class average. As far as his development with aura went, well… He'd rather not that mention that at all.

Surely, there had to be something he was doing right, though? After all, he hadn't been kicked out, or killed, yet... That was saying something. Not only that, but he'd been made a team leader. Him, of all people! Team Leader. The headmaster must have seen something in him, because it certainly wasn't Jaune's credentials that had landed him the position.

Perhaps Ozpin believed that placing Jaune in such a position would force him to improve, drastically, and bring the best potential Huntsman out of him. Especially when met with the realisation that he no longer had just himself to look out for, but the wellbeing of three others. It certainly seemed like something Ozpin would do.

If nothing else, regardless of his own achievements; or lack thereof; Jaune knew that his time at Beacon hadn't been for nothing. He'd meet such amazing people who had helped to shape his life for the better. People who drove him, made him strive to be the best person he could possibly be. People like Ruby, who made him want to fight for what was right and defend others from harm; to be a hero. People like Pyrrha, who saw the potential for greatness deep inside of him, where seemingly no one else could. People like Ren and Nora, who had come so far in spite of the adversity their lives had seen.

Suddenly, with this in mind, the words came much more easily to Jaune, and he began to write.

_Hey mom,_

_Thanks for writing to me, it's really great to hear from you! I miss all you guys too. A lot. I'm glad that you're well. I'd love to come home during the break. It'd be really nice to spend some time with you all again. I just hope you haven't already turned my room into a guest room or something!_

_Anyway, Beacon's well... It's pretty crazy. I'm learning a lot and, thanks to your advice, I've made a lot of great friends already. I'm actually the leader of my own team, Team JNPR. At first it was kind of scary to take on such a responsibility, but I think the challenge has really helped me grow. I'm slowly getting used to it. My teammates are incredible. They're such skilled fighters, yet they're always willing to listen to my ideas and have faith in them. I'm sure you'd really like them. I guess you'll probably want to know more, huh?_

_It's… It's kind of hard to do justice to them as people through words. You'd really have to meet them in order to understand. But… I'll try my best._

_Well, first up, there's Nora. She's great to have on our team, always so upbeat and full of energy, the kind of person who can light up the mood but just being around. You might not be able to tell from looking at her, but she's a really strong fighter. Small, but really, deceptively strong. The powerhouse of our team, even. She kind of pokes fun at me, at times, but Ren always tells me that it's just because she likes me, and it's all in fun._

_Oh. Ren's one of my other teammates. He's… well, he doesn't say a lot. He's quiet, and pretty serious, kind of the one who keeps us all in line. I really feel like we've bonded, though. I don't know if it's just because I didn't grow up around a lot of other guys, but I see him as like the brother I never had. He's really smart, and always lets me borrow his notes from class. He can also be pretty snarky and sarcastic, he actually has a great sense of humour! It's hard to believe, but he and Nora have been friends since they were children. They both orphans, so they've never known their parents, but they've always had each other. I know it seems sad, but it's actually kind of sweet…_

_And lastly there's Pyrrha. Pyrrha, well… Pyrrha's-_

Jaune paused, his pen hovering over the paper as his lips pursed in thought. It wasn't that he was lost for words. Quite the opposite, in fact. He could have written page after page about Pyrrha, he just wasn't sure that anything he wrote could truly capture her. His teammate, his teacher, the girl who was probably his best friend in all of Beacon. His… Well, he wasn't entirely sure what they were.

 _-my partner._ Jaune decided eventually. _And she's amazing. Even though I'm team leader, I feel like she's already taught me so much more than I ever could her. When I first got to Beacon, I… I was having some trouble. I wasn't doing so well in class, or that great at fighting, but she offered to teach me. At first, I was too stupid and proud to want her help, but she never gave up on me. Now that I think about it, she's been helping me from the moment we first met, when we barely knew each other. I guess you were right, mom. Strangers really are just friends you haven't met yet, and Pyrrha… Pyrrha's one of the most patient, caring people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing…_

_Anyway, there's so much more that I'd love to tell you about, but I should probably save some things for when I get back home. Looking forward to seeing you guys again!_

_Love,_

_Jaune._

Jaune's eyes strained as he glanced over the letter, suddenly conscious of the darkness filtering into the room. The sun was setting, the night slowly pooling in. His teammates would probably be back soon. It must have taken him longer to write that letter than he'd realised.

With a satisfied nod, Jaune folded the paper carefully, setting it back on his end table.

He'd be sure to send it out first thing tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something I'm working on. It's a story set between Volume 2 and 3 that is, obviously, going to be AU/Canon divergent. Basically, to quote Nora from RWBY Chibi, "Nothing bad ever happened. Ever."
> 
> I'm still working on Incognito, along with a bunch of other stories, so it's probably going to be awhile before I can work on this more. But I wanted to get the idea out there to see what you guys thought of it. I'm probably also going to try and get a few chapters written before I start posting them, just so you don't have to wait as long between updates. The title’s also tentative, so I might change it if I come up with something better. 
> 
> Anyways, would love to hear what you guys think of this so far.


End file.
